October 25, 2018

It may feel a little like stealing. But when it comes to saving the lives of animals, borrowing ideas from other organizations is a great way to achieve your mission. "We are always stealing and polishing," says Sharon Harmon, CEO of the Oregon Humane Society (OHS) and Maddie Hero Award recipient. "We can all learn… Learn More

August 31, 2018

Sheila Segurson D'Arpino, DVM, DACVBMarch 2018

Maddie's® Idea Lab supports the implementation and assessment of innovative ideas that have a high likelihood of advancing lifesaving of dogs and cats, the utilization of foster care for dogs and cats or animal welfare leadership. Come to this lecture to find out what we've learned and how these ideas are saving lives.

Mike Kaviani and Marian CannellMarch 2018

What should your shelter/community expect when you're ready to push past 90%? Come learn about "the last 10 percent", and the programs that are saving the dogs that have historically been deemed unsaveable.

Kelly DuerFebruary 2018

Whether you're looking to start a foster program at your shelter, or give a boost to an already-existing foster program, Maddie's Fund® has a webcast series for you!

In a free webcast on Thursday, March 1, 2018, at 9 PM Eastern, Foster Field Trips: A Gateway to Community Engagement in Getting Pets Adopted, you will learn how getting pets out of the shelter for even a few hours can create benefits for the pet, the community, and the adoption organization.

September 14, 2017

What can you learn from kittens? For Kat Hamlin, cat adoption specialist for PetsConnect! in northern Indiana and southern Michigan, the answer is hands-on experience, lifesaving techniques and a new perspective. Her only complaint after attending Maddie's® Kitten Lifesaving Apprenticeship Program at Humane Society Silicon Valley? "I wish I could have stayed longer," she said. The… Learn More

September 12, 2017

In the literature of persuasion, the act of buying jam turns out to have a lot to tell us about getting more pets adopted. We’ve written before about the so-called “paradox of choice,” and how research on jam sales as well as cat adoptions suggested that having fewer, rather than more, pets on the adoption… Learn More

September 5, 2017

There is no animal shelter or rescue group that couldn’t use more fosters, volunteers, adopters, donors, board members and other supporters. Without them, the amount of lives these organizations can save is severely diminished. So, how do you break through the clamoring voices demanding people’s time and attention, and get them to choose you to… Learn More

January 12, 2017

It turns out procrastinating pays off for animal welfare workers — and so does getting everything done on time! In a blog post published last year by ASPCAPro, Julie Morris discussed her own “pre-crastination” — the fact that she gets everything done not just on time, but early. That’s usually what we think of when… Learn More

December 2016

November 2, 2016

If you want to help animals but don't have the time to physically volunteer at your local shelter or rescue organization, what can you do? Look no further than your resume! There are plenty of ways you can help just by utilizing your natural talents. Whether you're a tech-savvy social media maven, an introverted writer,… Learn More

August 23, 2016

What if someone had genuine useful resources that could help those working with animals in the shelter, rescue and veterinary fields cope with emotional numbness, stress, anxiety and burnout? Someone does: The Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida is enrolling students in its online course in “Compassion Fatigue Strategies” with certified compassion fatigue… Learn More

Marc PeraltaJuly 2016

Your team and and what positions you have - be they staff or volunteers - are all tactics to reaching your no-kill goals. Watch this presentation to find out how to build a success-driven team. Learn More

February 2016

Generally speaking, the model for foster programs has been a period of temporary pet fostering, followed by return of the animal to the shelter for adoption. Although foster caregivers are in a unique position to give insights into pet health and pet behavior in a home environment, foster caregiver involvement in the adoption process has been a fairly new and fairly controversial subject. In this survey report, we examined how often caregivers choose to be involved, to what extent organizations actually allow involvement and more. Learn More

December 2, 2015

Do you want to bring home some magic this holiday season? Want to experience the joy you remember from your childhood — and save a pet’s life at the same time? Here’s how: Foster a homeless pet! Fostering doesn’t just give pets a place to lay their heads. Spending time in a home, with a… Learn More

October 14, 2015

They’re the all-too-often unsung heroes of veterinary medicine, but we’re going to sing about them here. We’re talking about veterinary technicians, with a special chorus of gratitude for those who go into shelter medicine practice. Veterinary technicians assist in surgery, assess vitals, draw blood, comfort frightened patients, explain procedures to clients and do everything registered… Learn More

June 2015

During the Summer of 2014, Maddie’s Institute® conducted a survey to assess strategies that may prevent animals from entering shelter facilities. One such strategy involves asking community members who bring in kittens to care for them until organizational resources are available or they are old enough to be placed for adoption. This report addresses the extent to which organizations encourage community member care, the frequency of community members who elect to provide care, how organizational resources link to involvement and more. Learn More

Ann LindholmFebruary 2015

With a viable foster program it's possible to begin transforming your community to no-kill, even if you don't have a shelter. Learn how a one person position grew into a dog foster team of more than 35 volunteers. This team supports a network of over 1,000 approved foster parents. Learn More

Marian Cannell and Amy LewisFebruary 2015

Through a partnership with Best Friends Animal Society, Austin Pets Alive! embarked on a six-month pilot program to test the effectiveness of Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Training on adoption rates. The results have been very good and show a clear adoption rate difference between dogs who undergo training and those who don’t. Learn More

Faith Wright and Deaven WilsonFebruary 2015

Do you know how many small breed dogs are euthanized in your community shelter? In Austin, Texas in 2008, it was many more than would have been expected (roughly 500). Do you know that nearly ALL of them can be saved and although many are marked "aggressive”, they rarely are? Learn More

Ashley FerryFebruary 2015

Fosters often mean the difference between life and death for cats in the shelter. They are essential in addressing overcrowding issues, shelter behavior problems and providing personalized care for medical conditions. Learn More

Monica FrendenFebruary 2015

Often overlooked for rescue, feral and fractious cats can be saved through a progressive Barn Placement Program and given a new lease on life as working cats. Learn how to start a barn program from scratch.
Learn More

Casandra MensingFebruary 2015

In this is a two-part presentation, you’ll learn how to start and build a bottle baby nursery, plus how to create a foster network for neonates. In Part 1, Casandra Mensing will share her experience running APA!’s Nursery, from its meager beginnings to the groundbreaking phenomenon that it is today.
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Rachel Sherinian February 2015

In this is a two-part presentation, you’ll learn how to start and build a bottle baby nursery, plus how to create a foster network for neonates. In Part 2, Rachel Sherinian will focus In finding, training, and retaining specialized foster families for kittens, whether you have a nursery or not.
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Gerri KapplerFebruary 2015

Austin
Pets Alive! is well known for its huge volunteer force (over 2,000 hours per
week). But in 2008 APA! started with no funds for staff and relied solely on
volunteers to do everything related to saving lives and building a huge
organization. How did they do it? Learn More

Michael and Pam Kitkoski February 2015

Volunteers are a necessity for rescue and shelter organizations working to achieve no-kill. Volunteers must be treated as partners, offering meaningful work and appropriate autonomy. But even in an atmosphere of mutual accountability, conflicts with both staff and volunteers can arise. Learn More

Marc PeraltaFebruary 2015

Working together is the only way to achieve our lifesaving goals. This seminar concentrates on how to build and maintain a successful team focused on the techniques that result in successful high-volume adoptions. Learn More

Sherri Franklin, Laurie Routhier, Marie Macaspac November 2014

What if your shelter or rescue group had a long list of people wanting
to foster pets for you? What if you had a great system in place to
recruit, train, reward and manage those foster homes? What if you had a
whole army of people to help get those pets ready for adoption? Learn More

Does your shelter or rescue group have medical protocols in place to care for your pets and for your fostered dogs and cats? Foster programs are critical if we want to help more pets who are facing treatable medical conditions, and to expand the capacity of a community to care for its homeless pets.
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Michele Gaspar, DVM, DABVP (Feline), MAOctober 2013

If you're a shelter medicine professional, it's easy to begin neglecting your own well-being and balance. Because shelter medicine is one of the most emotionally demanding practices within veterinary medicine, clinicians face burnout, compassion fatigue and a wide range of mental health problems. Learn More

September 2013

Orphaned kittens are the most fragile of homeless animals, and many shelters consider it too resource-intensive to care for them. For that reason, they often make up the largest single group of animals euthanized at many shelters. We surveyed shelters and rescue organizations to gather data on: care and housing, prevalence of health issues, training given to individuals who provide care, and challenges organizations may face in providing care for kittens. Learn More

September 2013

Research clearly links high staff and volunteer engagement to high performance and productivity. We surveyed shelters and rescue organizations to: assess overall levels of engagement, investigate potential drivers which may contribute to engagement or disengagement and provide resources to enable organizations to improve engagement. Learn More

Laurie Peek, DVM and Heidi Beyer, CVTApril 2013

These short videos will provide essential care instructions for orphaned kittens. Whether you are a seasoned foster parent or just getting started saving these orphaned baby lives, these videos will guide you through the basics. Learn More

Laurie Peek, DVMApril 2013

Based on years of personal experience, Maddie's Fund Director of Veterinary Programs Laurie Peek, DVM, provides a step-by-step guide to caring for orphaned kittens, including how to recognize, avoid and respond to the most common threats they face. Learn More

November 2012

Research shows that attention to your workers' training and development can also lead to increased confidence, a deeper connection to the mission, accountability and retention, while reducing monotony and disengagement. We surveyed shelters and rescue organizations to: understand current training and development practices, identify common needs and challenges, and offer tips and resources to improve programs. Learn More